Laptop With Veterans' Social Security Numbers Found

June 30, 2006|By Johanna Neuman Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — Federal and local officials reported Thursday that they have recovered a laptop and external hard drive -- stolen May 3 from the Maryland home of a Department of Veterans Affairs employee -- that contained the Social Security numbers of more than 26 million veterans and their spouses.

"A preliminary review of the equipment by computer forensic teams determined that the database remains intact and has not been accessed since it was stolen," the FBI said in a statement issued with the VA and the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department. "A thorough forensic examination is under way and the results will be shared as soon as possible."

Officials said that a tipster who had seen posters advertising a $50,000 reward contacted a U.S. Park Police detective he knew from "a previous relationship."

"I don't think the person knew that this laptop was the laptop," said Dwight Pettiford, chief of the U.S. Park Police.

The Park Police in turn contacted the Baltimore office of the FBI, which sent the laptop to the bureau's computer laboratory for investigation. FBI officials said the tipster has not been charged and likely was not the thief.

From the beginning, law enforcement officials have described the theft as a typical burglary, saying they did not believe that the VA data were targeted.

The news that the computer had been found brought cheers from both members of Congress and veterans, who have been on guard for indications of identity theft.

"The news ... is wonderful for veterans and active duty personnel," said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "We are all holding our breath now for the FBI forensic analysis, which we hope will confirm that the data has not been compromised."

But the announcement did little to quell anger about the lapse in security that led to the unidentified VA employee taking home the material.

"The worst-case scenario may have been averted this time, but an even greater tragedy would be if this type [of] incident was allowed to happen again because of complacency in the workplace," said Joe Davis, a spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "Those who are entrusted with our nation's secrets and the personal information of its citizens must be held accountable when they fail to do their jobs."

And security experts said the recovery was unlikely to stem worries about identity theft, which the Federal Trade Commission estimates ensnares 10 million Americans a year in a lengthy ordeal to clear their credit records.

"Two years ago, we advised people to shred their trash, but that's irrelevant now," said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer for Counterpane Internet Security Inc. "No one steals identities one at a time. They steal it in huge blocks off databases."

The Los Angeles Times is a Tribune Co. newspaper.

IDENTITY THEFT WARNINGS

The federal government has recovered the stolen laptop computer and hard drive with sensitive data on up to 26.5 million veterans and military personnel, and it appears no one accessed Social Security numbers and other information since it disappeard May 3. Still, veterans are being urged to carefully watch their bank and credit card statements and take steps that every one can take to guard against identity theft. Among them:

Warning signs: Watch if bills or mail you are expecting doesn't come. You get a credit card you didn't apply for. You get calls about things you didn't order. You're denied credit for no good reason. Purchases you did not make show up on accounts.

Get a credit report: Everyone is entitled to a free one. Get it at www.annualcreditreport.com, or call 877-322-8228.

For government updates: Call the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hotline at 800-333-4636, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT Monday through Saturday. Or go to www.firstgov.gov or www.va.gov/opa.